Rebuilding Truth and Holiness in God's Presence

You cannot rebuild truth with those who have no covenant with truth. You can't rebuild a holy thing with unholy alliances. And when their offer was denied, their true motives surfaced and the resistance moved from being helpful to incredibly political in that day. Letters were written and accusations were made and the work was stalled. And what began as revival was now threatened by delays and distractions and discouragement. And we find ourselves in the same situation today in 2025. Ladies and gentlemen, when the church has grown too silent because of cultural pressure, when the walls of truth have been torn down by compromise and intimidation, and God is calling just like then a generation to rise today, not as just worshippers, but as rebuilders, rebuilders of righteousness and rebuilders of holy boundaries and rebuilders of truth. [00:52:04]

Because ladies and gentlemen, when truth falls in the streets, those inside of the walls become vulnerable and the enemy can just walk in unchecked. But when truth is rebuilt, it becomes a wall of protection for the people of God and a gatekeeper that keeps the enemy out. And I'm preaching you to you this morning the thought, rebuilders of truth. Rebuilders of truth. There are four points, these four walls that were being built for the temple. I'll give you four four truths that I think are so important that we must have in 2025. [00:53:21]

We when when Israel returned from exile, they they they were offered help by what looked like friends and allies, but they were being offered to be helped by enemies. And and and the they refused them. Why? Because you cannot build a holy house with unholy hands. Listen to me. God's presence demands purity. And mixture contaminates the mission. Holiness is the wall that guards covenant and st the standard that sustains revival. And listen to me. When purity becomes optional, power becomes unavailable. Everybody wants to have strength. But if you don't have purity, you can't have strength. [00:54:00]

Everybody wants a strange marriage, a strong marriage, but if you don't have purity in your marriage, you won't have a strong marriage. They want purity in their fa They want power in their family, but you can't have power in your family if you don't have purity in your family. And when purity is optional, power becomes unavailable. This is why in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, this is what Paul wrote to the church at Corenth. Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you. This scripture has not changed in 2025. [00:55:18]

And everybody wants to be in the glory of the Lord, in the presence of the Lord, but he can't come in and do a pure thing with tainted hands. You see this again in the Levitical law in Leviticus chapter 20. It won't be on your screen, but he calls for separation to be set apart. Watch this. For holy use. It's so important because if separation isn't rebuilt, compromise infiltrates the community. And the enemy gains access through the front door of what should be defended. Watch this. Because if the foundation is mixed, the future will be compromised. [00:56:09]

Come on. Come on. We we we want God to give us powerful things, but if you'll compromise early, it doesn't change. And let me just stop here long enough to say if he'll cheat with you. Don't be too surprised if he eventually cheats. This is why I married that woman. Well, she ain't on the front row today. Hallelujah. That's why I married her. She wouldn't even let me shake her hand. Never mind trying to buy a cow and milk and all that other kind of stuff. I was just trying to shake the hand. Hallelujah. And her whole body became a question mark to me that I had to get the answer to. [00:57:53]

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? And whoever. Okay, I hear you. Well, I'm I'm like 17. I ain't having no affair. Uh you you're messing with somebody's wife. You're messing with somebody's husband and here you are 15 years old and you're messing with somebody's wife. I'm going to let you in on a secret. You're messing with somebody's daughter cuz I have no problem going back to prison. We start prison ministry all over again. Hallelu. Okay. It's enmity with God. For whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. [00:59:24]

That the Holy Ghost in you is so desiring your holiness because it identifies with his identity and he gets jealous when he becomes your side piece. So, how do we do this? Number one, you set clear spiritual boundaries. I'm telling you right now, you on a date and that homeboy wants to reach over there and grab stuff that he hadn't paid for. Grab your big old family Bible, slap that joker right there on the armrest, and let him climb over Peter, James, and John. And if that don't work and he touches you on the hip, Say, "Hey, yada." Just start speaking in the Holy Ghost. It will freak him out. [01:00:34]

Every relationship is either God-appointed or enemy assigned. It's either God appointed or is enemy assigned. So, so you set clear boundaries and and then you guard your influences. Oh my goodness. Let me deal with this one. Especially in worship. Guard your influences. Everything that gets edited on social media and Christian television doesn't mean everybody's living it in the edited way. Okay, I'm gonna mess with this in just a minute. But you got to guard this. Why? Because watch this. Discernment is heaven's filter. Go back. Discernment is heaven's filter for hell's deception. [01:01:29]

It is unbelievable to me how full of the Holy Ghost people can be and still be fooled by pretend spirits. It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. pretend spirits because they're spiritual doesn't mean they're capital S holy spiritual. God bring us a revival of spiritual discernment. The the enemy he he once denied access and he shifted to a new tactic and it was manipulation and sabotage. And without discernment, God's people would have mistaken opposition for opportunity. And in this hour, the church must distinguish between what is goodlooking and what is God. [01:02:24]

But solid food belongs to those who are of full age. I just gave you a mouthful. Solid food belongs to those who are of a full age. That is those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Here's what the writer of Hebrews is saying. That discernment is not sharpened unless it's used. And just because you want to have the title of being discerning doesn't mean you're actually using discernment. Proverbs 3 tells us that is a lifelong value that we should attain. That without discernment, deceivers can gain influence and the church becomes a playground for spiritual confusion and compromise. [01:03:28]

How do I do that? Number one, you pray for every before every decision. And then you let the word of God be the lens, not your feelings. Oh God, give us discernment again. What is God saying about this? And then how do I lay the word of God on my situation? And then here it is. Surround yourself with spiritually mature voices. Let me help you. If they don't have the marriage you want, they shouldn't have the access to be a mentor in your life. Come on. If they're not raising their children the way you would love your children to be, come on. [01:04:27]

Because here's what I've learned. that just because it sounds right doesn't mean it's righteous. Number three, we must rebuild the truth here it is of courageous obedience. Huh? What happened to the people of Judah is after they didn't get their way by coercion then they started writing letters. our modern day. They started posting and Instagramming and Facebook commenting and tweeting and Tik Tok videoing trying to make them intimidated to stop. And when the pressure mounted and the letters were sent to the king, Israel was tempted to stop what God had called them to do. [01:05:17]

But obedience is not measured by convenience, but it is tested in conflict. Am I going to be obedient even if it costs me? Am I going to do what the spirit of the Lord has commanded me to do? Husbands, I don't know why I'm on this in this service. Husbands, love your wives. It does not say love them when they're doing what you want them to do. Wives, honor your husband, even if he's not being honorable with certain decisions. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Hallelujah. Ain't none of this in my notes, but I feel glory all over this. Aren't you glad you came to the save service? [01:06:08]

Why? Because it's tested in conflict. It's easy to love and to respect and to honor when everything's legit. But when it's not legit and everything is turbulent and it's chaotic, can I still love? Can I still honor? Can I still be honorable towards them? Even in conflict, I'm mad at you, but it doesn't change that I'm going to honor you. And in those moments of conflict, God is not looking for comfort. He's looking for compliance. Sometimes you just do it because God said so. I love you in the name of Jesus. I don't like you right now, but I love you in the name of Jesus because watch this. [01:07:19]

Bold obedience is so much louder than the silence of fear. In Acts chapter 5 29, the Bible tells us that that Peter and the other disciples answered and said, "We ought to obey God rather than men." And I used this a couple weeks ago, but this isn't important. Like, at some point, I got to know what God wants from me. And I just got to obey. I I don't I I don't have to go to YouTube to find somebody who's on there that agrees with my theology. This is what the Holy Spirit is commanding me to do. And it makes no sense to me either. [01:08:07]

But at some point, the church has got to get back to taking orders. Not from the preachers, but from the word of the Lord. Well, pastor, you don't understand. I hear this all the time. You don't understand. All things are lawful. That doesn't mean all things are profitable. Finish the scripture. Just because it won't take you to hell doesn't mean they're not going to push you through it. Well, pastor, you don't understand. This is this is one I get often. You don't understand. All throughout scripture, there's nowhere where God God tells us not to drink. Listen, if your grandfather was a drunk and your father was a drunk, you don't need to drink. [01:08:54]

Faithfulness is the bridge between promise and fulfillment. Let me say that to you again. Faithfulness is the bridge between promise and fulfillment. Many of us start something because we have a prophetic promise. But it takes faithfulness to see it come to f fulfillment because there will be every opportunity to quit all along the way. But there is something powerful about a man or a woman that lives in enduring faithfulness. So many times, I guess this is marriage service today. So many times over 27 years of our marriage, she's on the back row now. Hallelujah. We're going to get her saved in the front before it's over with in Jesus name. [01:15:10]

So many times over 27 years, I could have got caught up in my emotions and forgot the covenant that I made, not just with her, but also with God. And I could have threw it all away or she could have thrown it all away. There are times when I got in my car to drive away from her. Y'all not going to preach with me, but that's okay. And there are times when she got in the car and tried to put the babies in there with her. to roll up out. Can you imagine that I'm not just happy and full of the Holy Ghost 24 hours a day, seven days a week? But we're 27 years in. [01:15:47]

If I had to quit too soon, I would not have seen what I see today. Do you understand? If I had to quit too soon, we would not have seen what we've seen today. What would my children be like if I had to quit too soon? What would my home be like if I had to quit too soon? What would my church be like if I had to quit too soon? Y'all don't hear what I'm saying. I'm trying to tell you there are some of you that have blessings that you can't even imagine that are on the way. All God's looking for you to do is pass the faithfulness test. Don't quit too soon. [01:16:33]

If you can grow weariness, you can remove weariness. You can unplug weariness. And Paul said, "Do not grow weary in welloing, knowing that on the other side of this season, if I will remain faithful, I'm going to reap a harvest. If I don't quit, I'm going to reap." 1 Corinthians tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that that our faithfulness, our endurance, it protects our harvest. If faithfulness isn't rebuilt, what should have been finished becomes a footnote. And watch this. What's worse, the next generation inherits unfinished assignments. [01:18:21]

You see, my faithfulness is to set my children up. So my unfaithfulness will set them up in the opposite direction. And look at this text in Revelation chapter 3, the ultimate of faithfulness. Behold, I am coming quickly. Hold fast what you have that no one may take your crown. Listen to me. You've got to hold fast to what you have so that no one can rob you of the crown that you're going to be. Let no one take your crown by holding fast to what you have. If all you have is your singleness, hold fast to your singleness so nobody takes your crown. [01:18:51]

And you've got to learn to trust God's timing more than your own frustrations. Man, I am teaching this morning. And let it be said of this house that we stay rooted even when others walk away. We stay rooted even when others walk away. Because watch this. Every time truth is rebuilt, opposition will rise. You must understand here we are. I'm at the end now. Israel, go ahead. And Israel didn't just return from exile to reclaim a land. They returned to rebuild a legacy. It was a place where truth could dwell again. Where worship could rise again, where the presence of God could return in power again. [01:20:19]

But as soon as they laid the foundations of truth, the enemy laid the foundations of resistance. And culture will try to silence it. Politics will try to legislate against it. Compromise will try to water it down. But if we don't stand for truth, who is going to stand for truth today? The church cannot afford to be silent any longer as it relates to truth. The walls of truth protect our children. They defend our worship. They preserve our witness and they honor our covenant. And if we do not rebuild the truth, who's going to rebuild? We're going to leave a generation to be exposed later on. [01:20:57]

We rebuild the walls of holiness. We don't wait for culture to welcome us. We don't wait for fear to disappear. We rise because we're called. We build because we're chosen. And we speak because we will not be silent anymore. We rebuild the walls of holiness. Compromise will not live in our house. Mixture will not shape our future. No, we rebuild and because we are set apart for the glory of the Lord, we rebuild the walls of discernment. Watch this. We will not be fooled by smooth words or pretty lies. We see with the spirit, not with the flesh. [01:21:55]

We rebuild the walls of courageous obedience. We will obey even when it costs us. We will stand even when it isolates us. We will rebuild with courageous obedience and we will speak even when the world tries to silence us. We will rebuild the walls of faithfulness. We will not grow weary. We will not walk away. We will finish what God has started. Watch this. We will not be intimidated. We will not be manipulated. We will not be silenced. We will be holy. We will be obedient. We will be spiritled. We will be faithful. And in Jesus' name, we will be rebuilders of truth in our homes, in our lives, in our cities, in this region, in this church, in this world. [01:22:36]

Well, pastor, what is truth? If I'm going to rebuild truth, what is truth? You ready? That's the easy one. You ready? Truth is God's opinion on any subject. Everybody's made it way more complicated. What is truth? God's opinion on any subject. You pick the subject and then find out what God says about that subject and you just found truth. What does God say about sickness? What does God say about divorce? What does God say about sexual confusion? What does God say about gender dysphoria? What does God say about gender misguidedness? What does God say about homosexuality? What does God say about prostitution? [01:24:07]

What does God say about debt? What does God say about racism? What does God say about bigotry? What does God say about judging? Cuz if you can find out what God says about it, you just found truth about it. And the truth shall set you free. This is why there's an assault on truth. And this is why somebody's got to raise up to rebuild it and reestablish the borders of it again. What does God say? Thank you, Holy Spirit. What does God say about the Holy Spirit? Not not your cessationism theology, not your doctrinal upbringing, but what is it that God says? [01:24:44]

Because whatever God says that that you just found truth and truth shall set you free. We have more Bibles and more translations than any other time in the history of the world. Yet, the people of God are more illiterate than they've ever been in the history of the world. Because we follow preachers, not truth. The problem is when you follow preachers, you can get caught up in preferences. And listen to me. The moment I preach something contrary to this is the moment you need to get out of here. I'm telling you, the moment I st Okay. Oh, God. The moment I stand up here and I beat about a new book I wrote more than the book that you can stand on, you need to run up out of here. [01:25:21]

This is what delivers. This is what restores marriages. This is what regulates diabetes. This is what will bring high blood pressure down and low blood pressure up. Y'all don't hear what I'm saying. This is what can put old things pass away and make all things new again. This thing regenerates. It breaks bondages. It breaks chains. It liberates the captives and it sets people free. It is the very thing that hell is afraid of. Listen, the Satan had to run when Jesus started giving him the uh for it is written. And oh God, let this be a house that has a house full of people that knows what it is written and we've hidden it in our hearts and it has manifested with the freedom in our hands because we know the truth and the truth makes us free. [01:26:11]